Lucknow Bank Heist: Two Robber Killed in Police Encounter, 4 Arrested

Lucknow: In Lucknow's Indian Overseas Bank robbery case, two of the main accused was killed in two separate police encounter, while three others were arrested on Monday, with recovery of looted cash, gold, and silver.

While Sobind Kumar, 26, was killed in an encounter with the Lucknow police near Kisan Path, Sunny Dayal, 28, was gunned down by the Ghazipur police and SWAT surveillance team in a separate encounter, the police officials said.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Chinhat, Radha Raman Singh, said Sobind Kumar, a native of Bihar , was one of the suspects wanted in the bank robbery.

Several lockers in the Chinhat branch of Indian Overseas Bank, located in Lucknow's Matiyari, were found broken Sunday and their contents missing.

The prime accused, Sobind Kumar (29), was killed in a police encounter, meanwhile, three other gang members—Mithun Kumar (28), Sunny Dayal (28), and Vipin Kumar Verma—remain absconding, with police intensifying search operations to apprehend them.

Three additional members of the gang have already been arrested, and authorities have successfully recovered the looted gold, silver, and cash.

On Monday, police intercepted two vehicles near Laualai village in the Chinhat area based on a tip-off. One of the suspects opened fire on the police team, prompting retaliatory firing. Sobind Kumar sustained a gunshot wound and later died, he said.

According to Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Prashant Kumar, Dayal, who carried a reward of Rs 25,000 on his head, was killed during a joint operation by Ghazipur's Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) team and the Gahmar police.

Police said they attempted to stop two men on a motorcycle near the Bara police outpost during a routine check. However, the suspects tried to flee towards the Bihar border. A chase ensued, and the suspects were intercepted near Kutubpur, where they abandoned their vehicle and opened fire at the police.

"In retaliation, police shot Sunny Dayal, while the second suspect escaped under the cover of darkness. Sunny was taken to a community health centre and later referred to Ghazipur District Hospital, where he was declared dead," the DGP said.

Police recovered a .32-bore pistol, Rs 35,500 in cash, and stolen silver ornaments from his possession, he added.

The robbery at the Indian Overseas Bank's Chinhat branch took place on Sunday. The branch manager, Sandeep Singh , reported that thieves entered the bank by breaching the wall from an adjacent vacant plot and looted items from around 40 lockers.

"Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) is aware of the unfortunate incident involving a robbery which occurred despite adequate security measures at our Chinhat Branch in Lucknow.
"We are fully committed to supporting the authorities in their investigation and are working closely with local law enforcement agencies to ensure that the matter is resolved swiftly," the bank said in a statement.